My Best Friend
by maddy.rigby
Summary: Two shot about Annabeth's feelings on the Mt. St Helens event. Before and after. Please no flames. Constructive criticism only?
1. Chapter 1

**One shot about Annabeth's feelings on the Mt. St Helens event. If I get enough reviews I'll make it a two shot **** it'll be about her feelings after, when she thought he was dead, backs at camp.**

DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT! ONLY THE PLOT!

"Annabeth!" I heard Percy trying to find me, yelling in the process. What a Seaweed Brain! Is he trying to get us caught?

"Shhh!" I clamped my hand over his mouth and tackled him until we rolled behind a big cauldron. "You want to get us killed?"

He reached up toward where my head would be if I wasn't wearing my Yankees cap, and pulled it off. My body shimmered into visibility in front of Percy.

I had to really work to keep on my scowl when I saw his eyes. They were full of adrenaline, the will to live, but not one trace of fear. Not a good thing in our situation. "Percy, what's your problem?" I was trying hard not to yell.

"We're going to have company!" He started to tell me about a monster orientation class and rushed through it quickly. I could feel the surprised look on my face.

"So that's what they are, Telkhines. I should've know. And they're making . . . well, look." I watched as he peeked over the edge of the cauldron.

He looked at me again and said "What _is_ that?"

I shook my head, only him, only Percy Jackson, would not understand that. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder . . ." I trailed off, thinking, maybe it was Kronos' scythe or something even more powerful. All the possibilities came to the mind of the daughter of Athena, the one who always over think things.

"They were talking about the greatest titan weapon," I knew my worst fears had been proven, "And they . . . they said they made my father's trident." I knew how much that hurt him.

"They betrayed the gods," I told him, "they were practicing dark magic. I don't know what exactly," Though I wished I did, my brain was like a sponge, always soaking up and the knowledge, and wanting more. "But, Zeus banished them to Tartarus."

"With Kronos" He was finally catching on. I nodded.

"We have to get out─" I was cut off by the door to the classroom opening, and Telkhines coming out by the hundreds. They were stumbling over each other, not knowing what to do.

And my brave Seaweed Brain did the stupidest thing. "Put your cap back on," Percy said, "Get out!"

"What!" I shrieked, probably attracting the young Telkhines attention, but I didn't care. I had already lost Luke but I couldn't let Percy go too! "No! I'm not leaving you!" No no no no no no no no! this couldn't be happening. I knew that if I left him, this time he wouldn't make it out alive.

I looked into his sea green eyes, and my ability to speak plummeted to almost nothing. He had a certain look that could melt my resolve by just a glance. "I've got a plan." Great, since when do his plans work? "I'll distract them" I wouldn't let him turn himself in to sea puppy chow. "You can use the metal spider─ maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

I finally found my ability to speak, because I had finally looked away from his eyes. "But, you'll be killed!" No I wouldn't let him do it! And, again I looked into his eyes, and I knew if he wanted me to go, I would. No matter how badly I didn't want to.

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice." His eyes were determined. I seriously meant to punch him, but I did something that surprised us both.

I kissed him. I would like to say it was for good luck only, that I had no other reason, but that would be lying. I had, deep down, secretly wanted to kiss him since I was crying on his shoulder, in a bubble, in Siren bay, under the ocean. I just hadn't known it until I had to face the prospect of never seeing him again.

He just sat there and stared at the lava like he couldn't even remember his name.

I put on my cap and left. I faintly heard a "There!" from one of the Telkhines, before I got out.

While leaning on a tree outside of Mt. St Helens, I realized how cowardly I had been. Leaving Percy to d . . di . . die, all by himself just so I could save my sorry butt. I broke down in tears. Not just little tears running down your cheeks, but real, heartbroken, want to scream sobs. It took me, probably, a little less the 15 or 20 minutes to get a hold of my self. "Ok . . . have to . . . tell somebody . . ." I mumbled to myself, trying to calm down. I saw a water fall. "Water . . . fall means . . . rainb─" I was cut off.

RUMBLE RUMBLE! KRRRR! I felt the earth shaking under my feet and quickly went to a tree to hold on to. The rumbling stopped for a moment, and was followed by a low growling roar.

I heard a terrible noise that I would never be able to get out of my head. Percy Jackson's scream of pure terror. It sounded almost non human . . . no wait there is no almost that that sound couldn't have come from any human but I knew it was Percy, it was just a gut feeling.

Then Mt. St Helens exploded, with Percy in it. How? It had been dormant for years! I remembered something Chiron had taught me when I had first got to camp half-blood: Poseidon is the god of the sea, he created horses, he's also the Earthshaker."

Why hadn't I guessed! Percy erupted Mt. St Helens! He's going to kill himself!

But what about the roar? Typhon! He has been imprisoned under Mt. St Helens for more than a millennium. Percy's the son of the Earthshaker! He created an earthquake strong enough to wake Typhon. That was the only answer that my advanced mind could come up with.

I had to tell some one. Percy di . . . ed to save me. I screamed and started crying again because that was the only truth. No one, not even Poseidon's son could have lived through that.

I crawled to where the spray was forming rainbows in the mist, fished out a drachma, and said, "Iris . . . offering . . . please . . . Chiron . . . camp half-blood. Somehow, she understood.

I had done all this while wanting to scream at the top of my lungs to whichever god would listen, to not let Percy die, by some miracle.

Chiron's head and body shimmered into my focus. "Chiron!" I croaked. "Help . . Percy . . . Telkhines . . . Hephaestus . . . St Helens." My voice grew weaker with each snippet I said.

"Annabeth? What's wrong? Where's Percy? Where are you?" His voice was getting more frantic the weaker I got. "Annabeth! Stay with me! Don't black out, tell me what happened, please."

"`Gimme a minute," I pleaded. After finally getting a grip on my self, my priorities.

I told Chiron what happened in a slightly more shaky voice than I would have liked, but hey! I had just lost my best friend in the whole wide world. I think I'm aloud to be unstable.

I told him everything except our kiss. Which I stuttered over with a "Then we ki─ hugged . . . " That's was for a whole other time, but I thought he suspected me.

"But, Chiron, Mt. St Helens exploded because of Percy, it was a blast big enough to wake up Typhon, he couldn't surv . . ived." I had been on a role for a while then I broke down in tears again.

"Tell Hephaestus about the Telkhines." I wanted to die, too. I felt guilty that I had lived and Percy had not. I accidently expressed this thought to Chiron, and he told me the whole thing. You know the: he died for you, he would have wanted you to live don't give up blah blah blah.

I curled up in a tree and waited. Before I gave in to the blackness that kept threatening to engulf my senses, I heard a some-what familiar voice, one I had only heard once in my life: Poseidon. _Don't give up Annabeth, my son died for you. Do you really think he would have just curled up and died if he was in your situation?_

Then I heard another voice, one that I knew well. Athena, my mother. _See, honey, this is why I stayed a maiden my whole life. Well, I mean never falling deeply in-love, at least. It hurts! But, you're my daughter, and I'm sorry about Percy. Annabeth! Find the will to live. Think of all your other friends back at camp._

Her voice faded, too. Then a voice I had never heard spoke to me in a sweet voice that drew you in. _Hello, Annabeth. I'm Aphrodite, goddess of love. You can't die just yet. Wait for Chiron. You and Percy's tragic love story creates great entertainment. _"But . . . but . . . We're not in love!" I told the goddess speaking in my head defiantly. _Sure, sweetie. Think back to how you felt in the mountain. And, sure he was your friend but if he was _just _your friend, would you feel this cut up, would you want to die? What if Grover died? You would get over it soon. But Percy's death, you feel like part of your heart has been ripped out, am I right? _"I do _not _like Percy that way! He's just a friend!" _Hun, quit lying to yourself. You like him! Admit it, it'll make you feel better! _"I'm in love with my best friend." I mumbled. No feeling. Just the tearing sensation. I tried again, "I'm in love with my best friend, Percy Jackson." I said it louder, and it did make me feel better some how.

"What was that, Annabeth?" I heard a familiar voice say. I sighed internally before I spoke to her.

**Please review! I want to know if my writing is OK or not! No flames though plz **** thx to all ~Maddy**


	2. AUHTOR'S NOTE! :

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Ok, i know u were all expecting another chapter, but you get an author's note, and i'm sorry for that. But i have a whole nother like page and a half, maybe two saved... wel i HAD one. But, my brother had to go and reinstall windows... deleting ALL my work for EVERYTHING i've ever written :'( so i don't really feel up to re-writing it yet, and we don't have work we have this retarded "word processor" thing and it's being really glitchy. it was hard enough writing this... so i'm sorry all if i may be awhile to post again... i jsut don't feel up to it. Maybe later. I feel sad :(


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Annabeth's feelings when she thought Percy was dead.**

_**Authors Note: Please no flames and thanks to all who reviewed. Sry I was so long to repost, we went on a family vacation, and it's been boiling hot so I haven't felt up to it =D Please read and review, and if possible could you give me some ideas on what else I should do from Annabeth's POV? Thx all ~ Maddy **____** may be a bit OOC…**_

"Nothing, nothing at all, Silena." Good old Chiron. I thought sarcastically. Of course he would send Silena. The daughter of Aphrodite the goddess of love. How ironic is that?

_Neigh! _

I turned to see Silena riding P . . . Percy's horse, Blackjack. I felt my lower lip tremble a bit before I stopped it. Be tough Annabeth! Percy had saved him by causing a diversion on the Princess Andromeda. Luke's ship. I sighed.

Silena rushed off her Pegasus and gave me a hug. I tried to push her away, but she clung on. "I'm _so _sorry, Annabeth! You must be devastated! I know he meant a-lot to you."

"Ya, I guess . . ." I mumbled. Didn't she realize she was making me feel worse? And why did she have to bring Blackjack, not any other Pegasi?

"Come on Annabeth, let's get you back to camp." Silena said, and as I stumbled she kept encouraging me. It made me want to puke. "Let's go, come on. You can do it."

She kept mumbling words that sounded incoherent to me. I couldn't tune it out either. It was a faint buzzing in my head that was really starting to bug me.

"Silena?" I growled.

"Hmm?"

"Will you please stop talking?" I was gaining a new PMS attitude. She sounded so cheerful. Didn't she realize Percy Jackson was dead?

She looked hurt, but stopped. I automatically felt bad. "Silena I'm sor . . ." I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"No, Annabeth, it's OK, I understand, completely." Blackjack knelt down to let me on his back.

It was hard to look at his face because it was like his eyes were asking me what had happened, where the "boss" was, as Percy had told me he called him. _Neigh! _

"I know big guy, I'm going to miss him to." A big, fat horse tear trickled down his muzzle, making me feel worse. I knew somehow, he knew what had happened. He had a connection or something.

I didn't feel the slightest inkling of curiosity on how he did. Normally I would have jumped on the idea of new information. I just didn't care anymore.

Flying on Blackjack used to be scary, but I didn't mind. It made me feel closer to him in some ways. I knew that he shared a small portion of the pain I'm feeling.

"Silena?" I knew where I wanted to go now. She looked at me. "Can you take me to Sally Jackson's house? I need to tell her what happened." I need to be strong, for Sally's sake, at the least.

"Ya, Annabeth. That's fine." We flew over the middle of Manhattan to a small cluster of apartments.

When we landed I walked up to the one that I knew was the Jackson's, and knocked on the door.

A cheerful looking woman opened the door. When she saw me the smile slid off her face. "Annabeth. What's happened? Where's Percy?" I sighed internally before I told her.

"Look Ms. Jackson. He did it for me, please remember that. And don't get mad. Please, I already feel bad enough." I was practically begging. She was one person I looked up to, and I didn't want her to resent me.

And secretly, though I would never admit it. I wanted her to comfort me, to tell me it's ok. To not blame me. That she accepted me, still like me even though her son wasn't there anymore.

And I told her what had happened.

I watched her as I told her. I watched her eyes grow wide with horror. I watched different emotions flicker over her face; disbelief, pain, betrayal, sympathy, pity, grief and more horror. That was the most common, horror. But, never, did I see the one I was looking for, dreading; blame, hate, or resentment.

When I finished, she threw her arms around me, in a consoling hug. It made my insides tingle sweetly. Sally was like the mother I had always wished for. One that was there for me when I was in pain.

But, right now, we were sharing the same pain. I lost my best friend, and she lost her son. I hoped I was soothing her as much as she was me. I knew she must be in terrible woe.

"Ms. Jackson, I need to get back to Camp Half-Blood, to tell Chiron what happened." She let me go, but the warm feeling was still there. It made me feel better. I noticed that she hadn't shed a single tear, while I had shed many. She was a stronger woman than I had thought.

"Annabeth, remember that you one of the most precious people to Percy. He was always wondering how you were, if you were okay, and things like that. He cared about you. And if, somehow, he's still alive, he'll find a way to come back, to you, to me, to Grover. He was always too loyal to his friends. I know you loved him." She shushed my feeble protests. "Even if it was just like a brother." She said. I really liked Sally. She never pushed you when you didn't want to tell anything, she was just like that.

"Sally, I think I was in love with your son. . ." Holy Athena, did I really just say that? Oh my gods.

"It's Ok, Annabeth, I knew that don't worry." Her eyes were full of pain and grief but I knew that Paul would help her get through it. I knew he was more special than she said he was.

"Thank you, Ms. Jackson. I need to go now." She pulled me into one more motherly hug, and let me go.

We landed in the middle of camp where satyrs were playing volleyball and campers were leisurely milling around or practicing shooting bows and arrows. One camper stood out among them all, a burly African-American 17 year old. Beckendorf. He was sitting on a bench outside the Hephaestus cabin, shoulders hunched, in obvious sadness. He must know already.

Silena automatically went to tell him. It was so obvious that she liked him. But, didn't I do that to Percy before... Before ... It happened.

I muttered a garbled thanks to Silena, and Beckendorf looked at me with sympathy. Ugh! I didn't want sympathy or pity. I wanted Percy back.

Why couldn't they tell that I wanted to be alone? I stalked off to my cabin.

I was lucky enough to find that no one was there. I didn't think I could handle another pitiful gaze or sympathetic glance. I needed time to get everything straight.

I walked to my bunk bed and climbed onto the top bunk, above Malcolm's half, and curled up into a ball to sort out my life.

Understand, Annabeth. Percy's gone. He's not coming back. His face filled my minds eye, taking up all space. He was the only thing I could think of; his intense, sea green eyes, his hair that always stood up in a black mess in the back, the way he would never intentionally get into trouble, how it found him, his lips so soft against mine moving in perfect synch, like they were made to fit together….. I trailed off at that thought. It hurt too much to think of what could have been.

I heard a soft galloping outside my cabin, and knew it was time. The time I had dreaded. It was time for the funeral

The door opened with a soft creak, and the man I had come to think of as a father cantered in.

"Annabeth." I could tell he had a whirlwind of emotion going through him. I knew he had come to think of Percy as a son, too. He had cared deeply for him.

He slowly walked up to me and put his arms around me in a comforting embrace. "I know it hurts, but I know Percy would have liked you to be there." He knew I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to be there, to stand there and watch Percy's shroud burn. "But I want you to burn his shroud. You were his closest friend; he would have liked it to be you. Will you?"

I was shocked. For some reason, I hadn't expected to be the one to do it. I had thought that Grover or . . . I couldn't think of anyone else. We had been on a quest every year. He hadn't had time to form closer friendships than with his friends on his quests.

But you have never led one. Now's your chance, Percy's not here to steal all the glory. A small voice in the back of my head said. No! That's not fair. He was a natural leader!

"Annabeth?" Chiron asked, distracting me from my internal turmoil. "Will you? Please?"

"Ya . . . Yes, Chiron, I will. Can I have some time to . . . to figure out what to say?" I pleaded.

"Of course. Annabeth, of course. The ceremony's in two weeks. I think that's enough time. I'll leave you to your thoughts, now."

"Thank you…"

A few minutes after he left, I walked out of my cabin. Everyone must have been avoiding me, because no one had come to my cabin and it had been morning when I got back. Now it was a little before noon. Lunch is in an hour . . .

I slowly walked over to the canoe lake.

Time went by in a blur. No Percy. 1 more week till the ceremony. 4 more days. 3 more days. The ceremony's tomorrow.

Sometime during the ceremony, I had started crying again. I felt terrible. I couldn't even pay attention to what Chiron was saying. But I did hear my queue to attempt to start talking. "I've asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors.

I took the stunning green shroud, the color of his eyes. Looking at its graceful movements, the beautiful trident on it I couldn't help thinking that it was right for him to be represented by something like this.

I turned away from the fire, towards the audience and choked out, "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had." Not really knowing what to say I started, "He . . ." I trailed off when I saw the face I thought I would never see again, Percy Jackson was standing at the back of the audience listening as we have his funeral. "He's right there!" I felt like screaming in ecstasy, but I was frozen in shock.

I saw some of the older kids near the back clap him on the back and greet him warmly.

I didn't know how long I was standing there until I heard Chiron say, ". . . Ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me . . ." I cut him off by racing through the crowd and screaming.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I shoved another camper out of the way and hugged him fiercely and felt like I never wanted to let go. I wasn't going to, because if he did, I would lose him. For real this time. I was two seconds away from kissing him again when I realized the scene I was making. "I – We thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!" I noticed all the campers get silent.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I got lost."

"LOST?" I almost started yelling again. "Two weeks, Percy? Where in the world?" But when Chiron cut me off and told us to go to the Big House. I realized I didn't even care where he had been. The important thing was that he was here now, with me. Safe.

_Author's note!_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers you r the reason I keep righting. So people will read. And I'm so sorry that I haven't' posted in forever! I should be posting sooner but hey It's summer and schools going to get back in on the 18**__**th**__** of August! 7**__**th**__** grade baby! What should I do next? I'm thinking of the time in the Siren Bay, Any other ideas? Please review. If you give me an idea I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter. How's that.**_

_**Thanks to all ~ **__Maddy Rigby _


End file.
